--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Nine tenths of wisdom consists in being…" description: "\"Nine tenths of wisdom consists in being wise in time.\" — Theodore Roosevelt" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e2/theodore-roosevelt-218_being-wise_nine-tenths-of-wisdom-consists-in-being_2072671.jpg" --- # Nine tenths of wisdom consists in being wise in time. ![“Nine tenths of wisdom consists in being wise in time.” quote by Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e2/theodore-roosevelt-218_being-wise_nine-tenths-of-wisdom-consists-in-being_2072671.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e2/theodore-roosevelt-218_being-wise_nine-tenths-of-wisdom-consists-in-being_2072671.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e2/theodore-roosevelt-218_being-wise_nine-tenths-of-wisdom-consists-in-being_2072671.jpg) > “Nine tenths of wisdom consists in being wise in time.” [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Wisdom largely comes from timing and patience, not just knowledge. **In simple terms:** Timing is key to being wise. Key Takeaway Cultivate patience and discernment. Themes wisdom patience timing Mood reflective calm Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - career planning - investment - relationship building Key Concepts decision making personal growth Questions to Reflect On - How do you know when to act? - What practices improve your sense of timing? A Different Perspective Rushing can lead to poor choices. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Being wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-wise/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) [Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wise/) [Words of wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words-of-wisdom/) ## Related quotes > [Nine-tenths of wisdom is being wise in time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/nine-tenths-of-wisdom-is-being-wise-in-time/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [“Time is not waiting for you ; be wise on time spending because time is money .”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osunsakin-adewale/time-is-not-waiting-for-you-be-wise-on-time-spending-because-time-is/) [Osunsakin Adewale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osunsakin-adewale/) > [Time cannot be recycled. When a moment has gone, it is really gone. Wise time management is really wise management of ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-w-kimball/time-cannot-be-recycled-when-a-moment-has-gone-it-is-really-gone-wise/) [Spencer W. Kimball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spencer-w-kimball/) > [Nine-tenths of wisdom is appreciation. Go find someone's hand and squeeze it, while there's still time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-dauten/nine-tenths-of-wisdom-is-appreciation-go-find-someone-s-hand-and/) [Dale Dauten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-dauten/) > [Nine-tenths of wisdom is appreciation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-dauten/nine-tenths-of-wisdom-is-appreciation/) [Dale Dauten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-dauten/) > [“Nine-tenths of wisdom is appreciation. Go find somebody’s hand and squeeze it, while there’s time. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-dauten/nine-tenths-of-wisdom-is-appreciation-go-find-somebody-s-hand-and/) [Dale Dauten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-dauten/) > [Learned we may be with another man's learning: we can only be wise with wisdom of our own: \[I hate a sage who is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/euripides/learned-we-may-be-with-another-man-s-learning-we-can-only-be-wise-2/) [Euripides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/euripides/) > [Wisdom consists in being able to distinguish among dangers and make a choice of the least harmful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/wisdom-consists-in-being-able-to-distinguish-among-dangers-and-make-a/) [Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [“True and sound wisdom consists of two parts: the knowledge of God and of ourselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/true-and-sound-wisdom-consists-of-two-parts-the-knowledge-of-god-and/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [Wisdom consists of the anticipation of consequences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-cousins/wisdom-consists-of-the-anticipation-of-consequences/) [Norman Cousins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-cousins/) > [True wisdom consists in two things: Knowledge of God and Knowledge of Self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/true-wisdom-consists-in-two-things-knowledge-of-god-and-knowledge-of/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [Wisdom consists not so much in knowing what to do in the ultimate as in knowing what to do next.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-hoover/wisdom-consists-not-so-much-in-knowing-what-to-do-in-the-ultimate-as/) [Herbert Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-hoover/) > [“I find a naturalistic understanding of human nature to be indispensable to leading a wise and mature life, and it is often exhilarating. Wisdom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/i-find-a-naturalistic-understanding-of-human-nature-to-be/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [“Nearly all the wisdom we possess, that is to say, true and sound wisdom, consists of two parts: the knowledge of God and of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/nearly-all-the-wisdom-we-possess-that-is-to-say-true-and-sound-wisdom/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [Spiritual wisdom consists in finding out the subtleties, policies, and depths of any indwelling sin... to trace this serpent in all its turnings and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-owen/spiritual-wisdom-consists-in-finding-out-the-subtleties-policies-and/) [John Owen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-owen/) ## More by Theodore Roosevelt > [No people is wholly civilized where a distinction is drawn between stealing an office and stealing a purse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/no-people-is-wholly-civilized-where-a-distinction-is-drawn-between/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [There can be no effective control of corporations while their political activity remains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/there-can-be-no-effective-control-of-corporations-while-their/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [Get action. Seize the moment. Man was never intended to become an oyster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/get-action-seize-the-moment-man-was-never-intended-to-become-an-oyster/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [Argument weak; speak loudly!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/argument-weak-speak-loudly/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [Let the watchwords of all our people be the old familiar watchwords of honesty, decency, fair-dealing, and commonsense."... 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To put an end to it will be neither a short…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/there-can-be-no-effective-control-of-corporations-while-their-2/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [If elected, I shall see to it that every man has a square deal, no less and no more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/if-elected-i-shall-see-to-it-that-every-man-has-a-square-deal-no-less/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) [Explore all 876 Theodore Roosevelt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) ## More Being wise quotes > [You can never be wise unless you love reading.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/you-can-never-be-wise-unless-you-love-reading/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [To be smart, spend carefully. To be wise, save regularly. To be genius, give extravagantly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chip-ingram/to-be-smart-spend-carefully-to-be-wise-save-regularly-to-be-genius/) [Chip Ingram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chip-ingram/) > [Acknowledging foolishness is a very powerful and important experience. We could almost say that being willing to be a fool is one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/acknowledging-foolishness-is-a-very-powerful-and-important-experience/) [Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/) > [To be wise was to be above joy and sorrow, fear and pity, ambition and humiliation. 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Harry Reid intended to manage life in the minority, it took one day of the 114th Congress to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberley-strassel/were-anyone-wondering-how-sen-harry-reid-intended-to-manage-life-in/) Kimberley Strassel > [If we are going to be wise, spiritual people prepared to meet the crises of our age, we must be a studying, learning community…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-p-moreland/if-we-are-going-to-be-wise-spiritual-people-prepared-to-meet-the/) [J.P. Moreland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-p-moreland/) > [Literature provides us with experiences it would not be wise or possible to introduce into our own world and thus enlarges our understanding of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-rosenblatt/literature-provides-us-with-experiences-it-would-not-be-wise-or/) [Louise Rosenblatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-rosenblatt/) > [Learned we may be with another man's learning: we can only be wise with wisdom of our own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/learned-we-may-be-with-another-man-s-learning-we-can-only-be-wise/) [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [None of the modes by which a magistrate is appointed, popular election, the accident of the lot, or the accident of birth, affords, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-b-macaulay/none-of-the-modes-by-which-a-magistrate-is-appointed-popular-election/) [Thomas B. 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With this in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-almost-seems-as-though-this-roiling-world-is-conspiring-to-test/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It's always better to be wise than to be smart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/it-s-always-better-to-be-wise-than-to-be-smart/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) [Browse all 310 Being wise quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-wise/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Nine tenths of wisdom consists in being wise in time.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Theodore Roosevelt" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/nine-tenths-of-wisdom-consists-in-being-wise-in-time/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Being wise" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/nine-tenths-of-wisdom-consists-in-being-wise-in-time/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e2/theodore-roosevelt-218_being-wise_nine-tenths-of-wisdom-consists-in-being_2072671.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e2/theodore-roosevelt-218_being-wise_nine-tenths-of-wisdom-consists-in-being_2072671.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e2/theodore-roosevelt-218_being-wise_nine-tenths-of-wisdom-consists-in-being_2072671.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Nine tenths of wisdom consists in being wise in time.” — Theodore Roosevelt", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Theodore Roosevelt", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Nine tenths of wisdom consists in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/nine-tenths-of-wisdom-consists-in-being-wise-in-time/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/nine-tenths-of-wisdom-consists-in-being-wise-in-time/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```